


let the quiet put things where they are supposed to be

by majesdane



Category: Pretty Little Liars
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-19
Updated: 2012-03-19
Packaged: 2017-11-08 01:48:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/437778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/majesdane/pseuds/majesdane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>It's sort of weird, how close they've become. </i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	let the quiet put things where they are supposed to be

It's sort of weird, how close they've become.    
  
Not like they weren't before, but  _before_ , back when Alison was alive, they didn't really spend much time together.  _None_  of them had spent much time together alone, truth be told. They were friends because of Alison, but they weren't really  _friends_  -- Alison was their common interest, the glue that held them all together. With Alison gone, they all fell apart. Spencer buried herself in textbooks and SAT practice tests. Hanna hid behind makeup and designer clothes. Emily put all her energy into swimming.    
  
And Aria left with her family to go to Iceland.   
  
It had been weird with Aria gone. Spencer had become so accustomed to seeing her everywhere she went. At school. Around town. In the bleachers during field hockey games. She missed Aria like a phantom limb, and it was strange to her, how she could miss someone who she felt she hadn't really known all that well to begin with.    
  
Things are different now, though. Alison, like before, brought them all together. Like fixing the binding of an old book, they were the pages being glued back in, being pressed together so tightly that there would be no separating them from now on. They were friends now --  _real_  friends. Aria knew exactly what type of coffee Spencer liked. Spencer started reading poetry. It was strange, how such a wonderful thing could come out of something so terrible.    
  
  
  
  
"Want to come over and do homework together this afternoon?" Aria asks, leaning against the row of lockers as Spencer pulls out her History textbook, stuffing it into her bag.    
  
"Usually 'do homework together' means I end up doing all of the work." Spencer grins. "What, no hot date with Ezra tonight?"   
  
"Uh, no. He's got another meeting." Aria looks sullen for a moment, but immediately brightens. "So I figured you would be a good stand-in. A replacement date."   
  
Spencer feigns annoyance, shutting her locker door closed with a sharp  _click_  and spinning the lock. She shifts her bag from one shoulder to the other. "Excuse me, I take offense at that. A Hastings is never second best."   
  
Aria laughs. "Awesome, it's a date then," she declares, looping their arms together. it's nice, even if Aria really is so tiny that it's kind of awkward for them to walk together like this; it makes Spencer feel warm all over. "Come on. We can stop for hot chocolates along the way."   
  
  
  
  
When Aria and Ezra break up, it's awful.   
  
It's even worse when Spencer ends things with Toby  
  
  
  
"I did it for him," Spencer says, trying not to cry while Aria puts her hair into braids. Spencer's glad Aria's here. Lately she's been listening to Elliot Smith on repeat and falling asleep with one of Toby's shirts pulled close to her chest. She's well aware of just how pathetic she is. "I did it to keep him safe. And I know it was the right thing to do, so why does it hurt so much? Why can't I just let it go?"  
  
Aria sighs. "Spence, just because you did it for the right reasons, doesn't mean you have to like that you did it." She finishes with one braid, moves on to the second, combing her fingers through Spencer's hair and evening it out. "I mean, at least it  _was_  for the right reasons. So it'll be easier to get back together -- "  
  
Spencer snorts. "Yeah. Right."  
  
"Well, you  _don't_  know, do you." Aria gives Spencer's hair a slight tug. "Maybe you have a near perfect mock SAT score, but you can't predict the future. Things might work after all."  
  
Thank God for Aria. Someone has to be the one to keep Spencer together, because she's doing a really terrible job of it right now. She smiles, though she doesn't really feel all that much better. "You're like a tiny Dr. Phil," she says.  
  
"Also, not bald," Aria adds, and they both laugh at that.  
  
  
  
  
Aria sleeps over. Spencer's parents are gone away on business and Melissa's off in the city doing God knows what. Probably agonizing over what color to paint the color of the walls of her townhouse -- Spencer can see her sitting on the couch trying to decide between three different shades of sea mist blue -- if she ever plans on moving out of the barn, anyway.  
  
"Hey." Aria reaches over and gives Spencer's arm a squeeze. There's plenty of room on the futon by the window, but they'd decided to share Spencer's big bed. Well, Spencer had decided it. Aria had just complied. It felt nice to be curled up next to someone. "Hey, you gonna be okay?"  
  
"I've survived so far," Spencer tells her. She takes Aria's hand in her own, her palm warm and soft. "It sort of feels like -- you know, they used to have triangular shaped bayonets, right? Because they caused the most damage. The shape of the wound would make it hard for the blood flow during the healing process. Which would lead to sepsis. And then usually death."  
  
Aria eyes her. "Okay?"  
  
"I just mean, it feels like that. One wound causing so much damage. It feels like there's a hole in me that is never going to heal." Spencer felt like crying. Again. She blinked rapidly, swallowing hard, trying to force the tears back down. She gripped Aria's hand. "I kind of sound really crazy now, don't I?"  
  
"Not any more so than usual," Aria teases. Her smile takes all the bite from her words.  
  
Spencer tries to smile back. "I can't even imagine how you're dealing with this. I'm falling apart."  
  
"Well, I suppose Hastings can't be the best at  _everything_ ," Aria says, and leans forward and kisses Spencer's forehead, cheek. The bridge of Spencer's nose. The corner of her mouth. "Why don't you just get some sleep, okay? Being exhausted all the time is just gonna make things worse."  
  
"Thanks." Spencer kisses the back of Aria's hand, pulls her in close. Aria smells like soap and strawberry shampoo. "I don't know what I'd do without you."  
  
Aria laughs into Spencer's shoulder. "Aw, come on, we're friends. It's kind of my job to be here for you. We'll get through this. We're Team Sparia, right?"  
  
Spencer grins. "Team Sparia. Yeah."  
  
Aria pulls away. "Okay, sleep, now." She yawns, as if to illustrate her point. "And tomorrow you can make me breakfast. I want bacon, eggs, waffles -- the whole deal."  
  
"Yeah, well, we'll see," Spencer laughs softly, and lets herself drift off to sleep.


End file.
